


Decked With Distractions

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Series: Advent Calendar Prompts [11]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Christmas Decorations, Distractions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28048482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: Jace goes to the Hunter's Moon for a distraction, but putting up holiday decorations isn't exactly what he had in mind...
Relationships: Maia Roberts & Jace Wayland, Maia Roberts/Jace Wayland
Series: Advent Calendar Prompts [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037739
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Decked With Distractions

**Author's Note:**

> Advent Calendar Day 13 Prompt: Decorating (written with a hint at something romantic there, but nothing overly shippy so it can be read as a ship or just friendship!)

“Need a little help with that?” Jace asks, watching Maia struggle slightly with a box that looks to be about the same size as she is. 

“No,” she’s quick to say. “...but just because I don’t _need_ it doesn’t mean I don’t _want_ it.” 

Jace laughs and takes his jacket off, draping it over the back of one of the chairs at the bar before making his way over to help. 

“What are you doing here so early?” Maia asks, glancing at the clock. 

Jace thinks about the particularly shitty mission from the night before: he thinks about the Shadowhunter recovering in the infirmary because Jace couldn’t keep him safe, and the fact that he didn’t get any sleep and instead of doing something reasonable to wear himself out had shown up at the Hunter’s Moon at 9 am to drown out his problems with a socially unacceptable early morning beer (or two or three). 

“Helping you put up decorations, apparently,” Jace says instead of anything he should’ve said about the real reason he’s here. 

Maia gives him a curious look. Jace can tell that she’s trying to read him, to see if she should push for why he’s actually here or let the deflection go for now, and must finally decide on the latter because a moment later she’s handing him a string of garland. 

The entire time he works - and he _does_ work, hanging garland and lights and spraying the windows with fake frosted snow paint - Maia never stops talking with him. They chat about a little bit of everything and when the conversation lulls Maia even resorts to discussing the _weather_ , all to keep Jace’s mind occupied. This isn’t new for either of them, and Maia knows that if Jace isn’t going to talk about it she doesn’t want to leave him alone in his own head to dwell on whatever the problem is, either. They make jokes, and to his surprise Jace actually _laughs_ , catching himself slipping into a state of comfort and ease more than once as he temporarily forgets why he’s here in the first place. 

Not for the first time, Jace wonders how he lucked out in winning over someone like her. 

When all is said and done it’s the much more respectable hour of 11 am and Maia has a generous glass of whiskey waiting for him at the seat he hung his jacket on. 

“Want to talk about it?” She asks finally.

“Shit night,” is all Jace says, knocking back about half the glass in one go before setting the rest down to sip. “Patrol went sideways, someone got hurt. They’ll be fine,” he adds quickly, catching the worried expression on her face. It doesn’t go away with his reassurance. 

“And what about you?” Maia follows-up. “Will you be fine?” 

They both know how much he takes these things to heart - how quickly he’ll blame himself for things that aren’t entirely his fault, and how he’ll be twice as hard on himself for the things that actually _are_. 

“Yeah. This helped. I was so worked up I couldn’t sleep at all last night, I definitely needed the distraction,” he admits. “Maybe now I can sneak in a quick nap before today’s assignment.” 

“Then we both win because that would’ve taken me ages on my own,” Maia points out, glancing around the room. “Next time you need a distraction in the form of physical labor I have plenty more jobs where that one came from.” 

Jace knows she’s only joking, or at least _mostly_ joking, but he nods in response as he finishes his drink and slides the empty glass back to her before shrugging on his jacket. 

“Any time, Roberts,” he agrees, thinking he might just take her up on that… 

**Author's Note:**

> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


End file.
